The Foundry launches next major version of Nuke compositing application

(London, UK--February 25, 2008) Leading visual effects software developer The Foundry is delighted to announce the next major release of its powerful compositing application, Nuke. Nuke 5 features a brand new user interface, the addition of Python for scripting, support for stereoscopic workflow, and with the ability to read, process and write over 1,000 channels per stream, it now features the industry’s broadest support for EXR images.

Since taking on the development of Nuke The Foundry’s goal has been to remain true to the original concept of developing a comprehensive compositing solution that is ‘designed by artists for artists’. With user requirements as the driver, The Foundry has concentrated on enriching and refining the product, building on its already strong foundations and focussing development efforts on areas that required renovation. Nuke 5 is the first major step towards this goal.

"Nuke is a complete pipeline tool. We created a pipeline for a job within days that would not have been possible with any other software. Within three days of getting our license we generated over 85,000 frames of data that equalled 350 variations for the client. Nuke 5’s support for OpenEXR is so effortless that our renders come in and we just work." Robert Nederhorst, VFX Supervisor at SpeedShape’s Los Angeles studio.

Applying over a decade of software development experience and close collaboration with the growing Nuke community, The Foundry has reworked Nuke’s UI to improve the user experience and make it more approachable for a broader range of artists. In addition to augmenting the existing floating window layouts with a flexible panes and panels system, Nuke 5 features per-node mask inputs, and expanded LUT support for file I/O colourspace conversion.

Since its inception, Nuke’s extensive scripting capabilities have been a key feature for many of its adopters, and The Foundry has taken this to the next level by adding support for the Python scripting language for the version 5 release.

The Foundry’s product development has long-benefited from close working relationships with some of the industry’s leading post production facilities. The latest challenge facing these cutting edge artists is the dramatic increase in volumes of stereoscopic projects. The Foundry has responded by laying the groundwork for efficient multi-view compositing in Nuke 5.

“With the latest Nuke developments we are reinforcing our commitment to deliver first-class products that assist creativity, workflow and productivity, no matter how demanding the pipeline,” said Dr Bill Collis, CEO, The Foundry. “Close relationships with our Nuke and plug-in customers are fundamental to our work – we listen to what they say they need for their pipelines today and tomorrow and this drives our R&D.”

Available on Linux, Windows, and Mac platforms Nuke delivers unparalleled speed, an efficient multi-channel scanline rendering engine, and powerful feature set unrivalled in the desktop market.

Availability and Pricing
Now shipping, Nuke 5 is priced at $3,500 / £1,750 with render nodes priced at: $250 / £125, with the annual maintenance and support contract prices at $1,000 / £500 per GUI license. Nuke 5 is available for existing customers with valid maintenance at no extra cost, customers can download now from The Foundry website http://www.thefoundry.co.uk